


The Universe Only Knows

by lilsnake



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: M/M, Space Flight, botched physics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-04-18 04:05:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4691375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilsnake/pseuds/lilsnake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A strange anomaly appears far in the universe that no probe can analyze. A small team of four astronauts must leave earth forever in order to investigate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. (Prologue) Countdown

**Author's Note:**

> I just woke up one morning and thought "AbeMiha... in SPACE!"  
> Might change the title later.  
> I've already written quite a bit for this but how fast I post chapters depends on how fast I edit.

Ten…  
He gripped the armrest of his chair, his knuckles turning white.

Nine…  
He gave the controls another once-over. Just in case.

Eight…  
He thought about his family. His parents who were both so proud yet so sad, and his brother who looked up to him as his hero but had begged him to stay.

Seven…  
He wished he could look behind him, but he was facing upwards. He wanted to see his home for the last time.

Six…  
He shook his head. He had already said his goodbyes. He wouldn’t let himself have any regrets.

Five…  
Even if he changed his mind, there was nothing he could do.

Four…  
How could ten seconds could feel so long?

Three…  
His heart was beating too fast. He took a couple deep breaths.

Two…  
His eyes flitted around the cabin, glancing at each of the other astronauts.

One…  
He made eye contact with one of them. In that moment, they were somehow able to communicate their mutual feelings of excitement and apprehension.

Zero

He stared upwards at the sky, at their destination. There was no going back. He was heading out to his new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've written fanfics in the past but this is the first time I've posted one. I always appreciate criticism! Please let me know if I've made any mistakes, no matter how small!


	2. Relative Success

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big chunk of this chapter is background information. Also, this is where that botched physics tag comes in. I tried. Hopefully it sounds reasonably realistic.

It’s almost every child’s dream to become an astronaut. Flying to the moon in a spaceship, visiting strange new planets and meeting alien lifeforms. But as these children get older, the dream often fades and is replaced by something more sensible.

This was even the case for Abe, who knew the chances of him actually going to space were so slim that it was better to drop such an unrealistic goal. But unlike the other children, he couldn’t shake off his love of the sky. He decided to become an engineer instead, one that would design technology to go into space.

He breezed his way through school with this goal in mind and was quickly accepted into the International Space Agency, ISA for short. He started off as an assistant of sorts. Acting more like a coffee boy than anything else, he was never able to share his ideas or opinions.

Then they started the project.

No matter how useful telescopes were, they could only give so much information. What the ISA needed were probes. But even their fastest probes were much slower than the speed of light. It would take millennia for the probes to reach the locations that required investigation.

So they invented the nanoprobes. These probes could travel faster than the speed of light while still obeying relativity. The idea was that the probe would travel in a different time than our own. In the probe’s frame of reference, it would have been travelling for hundreds of years but in our frame of reference, only a minute. These probes were durable and could send accurate signals over long distances.

While designing them, Abe proved to be quite insightful and quickly made his way up the ranks. He was now one of their top engineers. He was content with his job, knowing that the technology he worked on would go to space, even if he couldn’t. He was always one of the first to see the pictures sent to them from space. Even if he wasn’t really there, he felt like he was. It was good enough.

But there was a slight problem with them. The fact was that no matter how much they tried to trick relativity, the probes were still moving faster than the speed of light, which goes against the laws of the universe. The probes would stretch time and space past their limits and, like a boat forming whirlpools as it whizzes through the water, they would create vortex like anomalies. Invisible to the naked eye, fields of these massive irregularities would form and impede the path of the probes. One the fields were formed, the pressure in space time would return back to normal. These fields were temporary but still posed a danger to the probes. Like a black hole, the vortexes would suck the probes in and the closer one gets, the slower time passes. Once consumed, time would forever stop for the probe. While some probes are lucky enough only to graze the vortexes, they don’t come out unscathed. Getting so close to the anomalies causes them to age and break down much quicker. If the probe is lucky enough to survive, eventually the pressure would build up again and another field of vortexes would be created. The agency began mass producing nanoprobes in hopes at least some of the probes would survive the fields.

As physicists and engineers worked to find a problem to the time vortexes, the probes came across something disconcerting.

At first it just seemed like another part of space. But for some reason this particular part of space gave them data completely identical to a previous region of space. As they got closer and were able to better scan it, they found that the entity was scanning them back. The ISA's scans registered that the entity was comprised of technology similar to their own. Then came the talk that it was some kind of camouflaged alien spaceship, which had caused a lot of panic. It was soon dispelled when they realized that the entity had somehow reflected their scans and they had begun scanning themselves. In fact this wasn’t the only thing that was reflected. All light and waves were reflected by the entity. This explained why the entity had resembled space they had seen before. They had basically come across a giant mirror in space. They name the anomaly “Espion.”

And as the probe got close enough to take good measurements, all the information on the probe was deleted and the connection was lost. For about a month, the facility was in an uproar. The higher ups were convinced that someone had tampered with the data. All data became top secret and anyone below a certain level was kicked out of the institution. Abe was, luckily, above the cut.

Fortunately, by the end of the month, the officials discovered that it was in fact the entity that was erasing the data on the probes. They welcomed everyone back with apologies.

It took them another two months to conclude that there was no way of getting the probes close enough to truly understand what was going on.

And so, after another month of debate and strife, they reached a conclusion. They would have to send humans into space, to record the information themselves, since technology seemed completely useless.

Abe and the rest of the engineers designed a craft using technology similar to the probes. In order to cope with the vortex problem, they created the most complex navigating system ever seen. This technology would allow one to travel precisely in any direction, up to a tenth of a degree. But the ship would still be travelling faster than the speed of light. Whoever controlled the ship would have to have excellent reflexes or else the ship would crash.

Seeing as this quantity was outside their own galaxy, hundreds of thousands of light years away, whoever agreed to go on this mission would have to leave earth forever, knowing that they would never return. And so the quest for the best astronaut began. The agency built a simulation that would test the astronaut’s ability to navigate at such high speeds. Abe himself tried it out, but failed miserably. They had believed with the great number of aspiring astronauts, they would find one in no time. But as the number of applicants got smaller and smaller, it became evident that it wouldn’t be so easy. They had found one astronaut, Tajima, but they would need at least two more in order for this mission to be a success.

***

The simulation room wasn’t very big. On one wall were shelves filled with instructions and information about the craft. Three simulators were lined side by side on another wall. To someone who had never seen them before, they would have simply looked like a three-screened arcade game with a lot of buttons. The other walls were covered in blueprints, with one square touch screen on the wall that displayed information about the trainees. Like the rest of the facility, the walls were white and brightly lit.

Abe was standing in said simulation room. In front of him stood his boss and an astronaut he had seen before but had never been formally introduced to.

His boss was a little taller than average, looking slightly chubby until he flexed his muscles. His face contrasted the rest of his body, being long rather than round. He was the kind of person who was carefree and would joke around provided he wasn’t on the clock. At work, however, his demeanor became stern.

“This is Haruna,” His boss had introduced. “He’s been trying out the program and seemed to be getting the hang of it. Tell us what you think.” His boss handed Abe a tablet with information about the astronaut in training.

Haruna sat down in the simulation. He swiped his ID card to activate the machine. The simulation started right in the middle of a field of vortexes. The simulation would become active once the first button was pressed.

Haruna took a few moments to remember where all the controls were. He stroked the console, splaying his hands out in several different configurations, until satisfied. He cracked his knuckles, grinning. With a few flicks of switches and buttons pressed, the craft soared forward, much quicker than anyone else had expected. Abe had to hold back from yelling at him to slow down. Haruna aimed for the spot in the field with the smallest number of vortexes and shot through. Even though it was just a simulation, Abe winced every time the probe brushed a vortex, the age count growing in the corner. Eventually, the craft cleared the field but Haruna didn’t slow down. Abe gripped the tablet tighter. The craft had aged quite a bit but he had still cleared the field.

Haruna turned to Abe and his boss, an arrogant grin stretched across his face.

His boss nodded in approval. “Very impressive.” He turned to Abe for his opinion.

Abe was at a loss for words but eventually managed to choke out “You need to slow down!”

Haruna’s grin shrank. He shook his head and turned back to the console. “It won’t work if I go slowly. The point is to find a relatively clear path then ram through it!”

Abe’s eyebrow twitched at the word ram. Did this guy have any idea how important the ship was?

“Let’s try it again,” his boss suggested. “Maybe you can try guiding him through it this time, Abe?”

Abe nodded, taking a deep breath. Haruna swiped his ID and the simulation started again. Abe’s eyes scanned the field, looking for a good entrance.

“I’m going in here,” Haruna announced, pointing at a certain spot on the screen. Abe opened his mouth to protest but realized it was a good spot.

“Alright,” he grumbled. “Just go slower.” Haruna sighed but complied, although not by much. He was still going much faster than he should.

“Slow down!” Abe called.

“It’ll be fine,” Haruna assured. They entered the field and things went well for the first few seconds until they reached their first obstacle.

“Go 130 degrees!” Abe commanded. Haruna reacted a second too late and they still grazed the anomaly, the ship aging a year. Abe clenched the tablet, the edges of the screen changing colour with the pressure.

“270 degrees!” Abe called again. At the speed they were going, there was no way not to miss it. Again, they grazed it. Another vortex came into view.  
Abe saw the course they needed to take. “30 degrees- hey!” Haruna completely disregarded the engineer’s advice, instead increasing his speed and plowing through a different direction. He grazed several vortexes before clearing the field, still in working order. Abe’s mouth lay agape. Fury flowing through him at the pilot’s carelessness and unwillingness to listen.

“See, it just works better when I choose the course myself.” Haruna stretched.

“Don’t you understand that we only have one ship? We can’t afford to almost destroy it every time!” Abe voiced his earlier thoughts.

“Now, now, Abe,” Abe felt his boss’s hand on his shoulder, an act to appease him as well as a command for him to shut his mouth. “Currently, this is the best pilot we have. We would be lucky to have him sign on.”

“If he doesn’t listen to me, he’ll just wind up getting sucked in!” Abe seethed.

“You won’t be with him up there, you know Abe,” his boss said. Abe felt his shoulders droop a little at this reminder.

Haruna’s smile stretched in amusement. “Did you want to be an astronaut?” Abe glared at the pilot but remained silent. “What does it matter if it gets a little aged?” Haruna continued. “It’ll still work.”

His boss stepped towards the pilot. “When can we discuss your possibly drafting?”

“I refuse to let him have control of the ship,” Abe protested.

His boss gave him a warning look. “Too bad it’s not up to you.”

“Nah,” Haruna stood up. “I don’t think I want to anymore.” His boss’s head snapped to stare at Haruna. His gaping mouth was unable to form any words. “Good luck finding a new pilot!” Haruna said as he left the room.

The simulation room was very quiet.

“You had better go talk to him and change his mind.” His boss’s voice was eerily calm. Abe gulped. It was this voice Abe had come to fear. He knew if he failed, there would be consequences.

“Yes sir,” Abe said somberly before running to catch up with the pilot.

The hallways outside the simulation room were as white and bright as the inside. The natural sunlight that the few windows let in made no different against the glaring glow from the ceiling.

Haruna hadn’t gotten far; he was walking leisurely to one of the coffee shops.

“Haruna,” Abe called out.

Haruna turned around and stopped, raising an eyebrow. “Hm?”

Abe reached the pilot and braced himself for his next words. “I apologize for how I acted.” He hoped he sounded more sincere than he felt. “Please reconsider your decision.”

Haruna huffed a laugh. “No.”

Abe was about to voice another protest but was interrupted.

“I was never planning on accepting anyway,” Haruna explained. He resumed his walk. “I just thought it would be funny if you got the blame for it. But since you’ve apologized, I guess it’s okay.”

Abe paused in confusion, before catching up and walking beside the other. “Why don’t you want to accept?”

“Why would I?” Haruna replied. “It’s a life-time commitment. Space is great and all but I kind of want to stay closer to earth.”

Abe nearly tripped. “Space is great? You have the opportunity to explore what no one has ever seen before! To finally unravel the mysteries behind Espion! Don’t you understand?”

“I understand but I don’t care.” Haruna shrugged. “I’d rather explore our solar system. I actually like our planet and plan on living life to the fullest. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m getting some coffee.”

Abe slowed to a stop and watched as the astronaut turned a corner, giving up the greatest opportunity of a lifetime. Abe spun on his heels and stomped back to the simulation room. He threw the door open. His boss wasn’t there anymore. Instead, there was a terrified looking astronaut-in-training, looking like he was about to try the simulation. It took Abe a moment to realize that the terrified look was probably in reaction to the noise Abe had been making.

“Don’t mind me.” Abe sighed.

The pilot blinked a few times before turning mechanically to the console. The agency really needed someone to master the craft so trainees were allowed to come to the simulation room whenever they wanted, provided it wasn’t already in use.

Abe picked up the discarded tablet of the other pilot’s information. He put the device beside the square screen and turned to leave. His eye was caught by the simulation. He walked over to get a better look. The simulation was set to slow. The pilot seemed to be doing okay at first, he hasn’t collided with any of the vortexes. But he was completely going around in circles.

The pilot reached an area with fewer vortexes. He let out an excited gasp, thinking he had cleared the field, before huffing out in frustration when he realized he was still in the middle. Abe gave a sympathetic smile at the display. The pilot decided to try again. Abe realized that his control wasn’t bad. He was, however, terrible at decision making. Whenever he faced an obstacle he would choose a random direction and never really get anywhere. He somehow remained unscathed.

“No, no, go 70 degrees up!” Abe had gotten tired of seeing the pilot go in such strange directions. The pilot froze up. Abe was sure he’d crash. At the last moment, the pilot regained his senses and directed the probe 70 degrees away. The probe grazed the vortex but was relatively unharmed. The pair breathed out a sigh of relief. The pilot continued his journey. He bypassed the small vortexes just fine but froze up whenever the probe reached anything bigger.

“260 degrees,” Abe suggested. The pilot immediately took action. Steering the probe exactly as suggested. He offered Abe a small smile in thanks.  
“60 degrees,” Abe said. The pilot nodded and took the course. They continued like that for a couple of minutes, the pilot executing each maneuver perfectly. They eventually exited the field. Abe was speechless. The overall damage on the craft was much less than his predicted ideal situation. This pilot had handled the craft better than he had seen any other pilot before. Abe couldn’t fathom why this astronaut’s skill hadn’t been brought to his attention.

Abe brought his attention back to the pilot. “What’s your name?” The pilot jumped in his seat and fidgeted. Abe’s brows furrowed. He had only asked his name, why exactly was he hesitating so much? Abe got tired of waiting for his response and instead leaned over to read his name tag. ‘Mihashi’ it read. Abe wracked his brain for anyone with this name but it came up blank.

“Wait here,” Abe walked over to the square screen and activated the database. He reached the M section and then found Mihashi’s name. His record was uninspiring. The report told him that even with the simulation set to slow, he had never actually cleared the field. After what Abe had just seen, there was no way he could believe the report. Then again, it could just be dumb luck. Abe connected the tablet to the screen and replaced Haruna’s file on the tablet with Mihashi’s.

Abe turned back to the pilot, who looked like he was awaiting a death sentence. He was hunched over in his chair, staring at the simulation with wide eyes. Abe pulled up a chair and sat beside the pilot, tablet ready in hand. He changed the settings on the simulation to fast.

“Let’s try this again.”

***

Each run had had the same result as the first. With Abe’s direction, Mihashi seemed to be a master at maneuvering the craft. Abe rewrote the entire report in Mihashi’s favor. 

Abe leaned on the console. “Are you busy right now?”

Mihashi shook his head.

“Great, wait here while I get my boss.” Abe rushed out the room and started interrogating passersby on his boss’s location. It took him much longer than it should have. Everyone he asked sending him in a different direction until he found his boss talking to well, the boss’s boss, Momoe. They were sitting in the cafeteria, luckily seeming to have already finished their meals. Abe waited until their current string of conversation petered off before walking up to their table.

“Abe,” his boss turned to acknowledge him. “Did you manage to convince Haruna to change his mind?”

Honestly, Abe had completely forgotten about Haruna.

“Actually, I found someone even better!” Abe grinned. His boss raised his brow skeptically.

“Well, why don’t we see who this new pilot is,” Momoe stood up. Abe was eager to show his superiors the astronaut he had found and had to fight the urge to run back to the simulation room. The thought that Mihashi might have already left didn’t cross his mind until he stood right outside the door. Luckily, once they entered the room, Mihashi was still sitting in the same spot, almost as if he’d been glued there.

His boss raised an eyebrow. “Mihashi?”

Abe picked up his clipboard. “You know him?”

His boss nodded. “From what I remember, he wasn’t very impressive,” he said under his breath.

Momoe clapped his boss on the shoulder, who winced. “Why don’t we just see what he can do?” She gave Mihashi a nod to signal that he start.

Abe sat beside him. Mihashi swiped his card and the simulation started again.

“30 degrees.” Abe was so excited to show off the pilot that he almost made them get sucked into the first vortex. He could feel his superiors’ disapproving gazes on his back. Even Mihashi gave him a worried glance.

“My bad.” Abe whispered to the pilot. The pilot nodded and redirected his attention to the screens.

“120 degrees.” Abe said. This time they almost grazed the vortex. They hadn’t aged but Abe wanted to show just how perfect they could get it.

“Y-you can… more specific if… want”

It took Abe a moment to realize that it was Mihashi who had said it. He hadn’t actually heard Mihashi’s voice until that moment. But he was confused by the statement. ‘More specific?’ Abe thought. ‘How much more specific could I get? Unless…’

The next vortex came into view. Abe sought out the best trajectory, doing the calculations in his head.

“273 degrees,” he said hesitantly. Mihashi turned the craft until it was facing exactly there, down to the degree. Abe was impressed. They continued through the field, now with one more digit to work with. They exited the field. The aging amounted to less than 4 weeks.

Abe turned to his superiors triumphantly. Their reactions didn’t match his expectations. The pair shared a skeptical look, seeming to communicate something within those few seconds.

“Why don’t we see how Mihashi does on his own,” Momoe suggested.

Abe wanted to protest, tell them that there was no way he would be able to do it without Abe, before realizing they this is why they wanted to see him on his own. Reluctantly, Abe got up and stood with the other two. Mihashi gave him a rather panicked look. Abe attempted to give him a reassuring smile but it didn’t seem to do much to calm his nerves.

Mihashi swiped his card and began the simulation again. He spent a few minutes just staring at the field, unwilling to activate the simulation. Abe had to bite his tongue in order not to give any commands. Eventually, he entered the field. It wasn’t the worst spot but it definitely wasn’t the best. It was all downhill from there. Mihashi was able to avoid the vortexes just fine, gaining a few days every now and then, but he wasn’t getting anywhere. Realistically, the craft would be stuck there forever.

“I think that’s enough.” Momoe’s voice was sympathetic.

“He can do it!” Abe urged. “He just needs someone to guide him!”

His boss turned to him. “And who would that be?” Abe said nothing but held his gaze.

“Even if the ship was close enough that it could receive commands from here, the delay would be too much and the craft would still get sucked in,” his boss explained, tired.

The pair began to leave the room. “We’ll just have to keep looking.” his boss said.

They were almost out the door when Abe spoke. “What if I went too?”

The pair turned in surprise.

“That’s a bold suggestion.” His boss didn’t sound impressed. “We only have room for two more pilots. Not an engineer.”

“But you should have an engineer. What will happen if the equipment malfunctions? I’m the one that knows it the best! We don’t need three pilots!”

“I’m sorry but this is out of the question.” his boss turned to leave again. “We aren’t going to change our plans so close to the actual date.”

“Hold on,” Momoe rubbed her chin. “I think we should consider this.”

Abe tried not to let his excitement show on his face.

“Firstly though,” Momoe stepped towards Abe. She grabbed his hands and looked directly into his eyes. Abe was taken aback by the action but kept her gaze.

“Are you certain that you would do this, given the chance?” she asked. Abe swallowed and nodded.  
Momoe narrowed her eyes. “You are absolutely certain that you would leave earth and everything here to be a part of this mission?” Her eyes bored into his.

Abe thought about it. But he quickly realized he didn’t really have to think. It had always been his dream, no matter how much he had tried to give up on it. Whether they had asked him when he was seven or when he was seventy, his answer would always be

“Yes.” he said resolutely. Momoe smiled and released his hands. Her burning gaze now turned to the quivering Mihashi, who had since moved a few feet away.

“What about you?” Momoe’s voice boomed. “Are you ready to give everything up in order to further humanity’s knowledge?”

Abe held his breath. Mihashi twiddled his thumbs, his gaze flitting around the room. He mumbled something. The three others in the room leaned in to hear him better.

“I can?” he repeated.

Abe bit back a groan of frustration. ‘What does that mean?’ Momoe’s brows furrowed as well. They waited for him to clarify.

“I… don’t have the… skill,” he mumbled out.

Abe stepped forward. “With me you will!” Mihashi’s head snapped up, his eyes meeting Abe’s. “You saw our results,” Abe continued. “Together, we can become astronauts.” Abe could hear the hope in his voice. Momoe put a gentle hand on his shoulder and pulled him back.

“Mihashi,” she said gently, but firmly. “Do you want to be an astronaut?”

This time Mihashi met her gaze. He opened his mouth. “Yes!” This was the loudest Abe had ever heard Mihashi speak.

“You’re sure?” Momoe prompted. Mihashi nodded vigorously. Momoe searched his eyes for something. After a moment she turned towards the door.“We will consider this new plan and get back to you,” she said as she left.

Abe’s boss ran after her. “Are you sure this is-” The door slammed shut.

The simulation room was quiet. Abe couldn’t believe that had actually happened. He could no longer contain his excitement. He turned to Mihashi, who met his eyes. With a few quick strides, he stood in front of the pilot, who seemed rather fearful of Abe. Abe grabbed his hands. “We might be astronauts.”

Mihashi nodded apprehensively.

“We could be chosen to go into space! We might actually go!” His grip tightened.

Mihashi nodded again, this time a little more confidently.

Abe barked a disbelieving laugh. “I can’t believe it.” He paced around the room.

“Might… not.” Mihashi’s timid voice resounded. 

Abe halted, his mood becoming a little less bright. “What?”

Mihashi jumped and stuttered. “Have to… wait. Maybe not… astronauts…” His voice got quieter as he went on. Abe frowned.

“We should keep optimistic.” Abe walked to the door. He turned back once but Mihashi wasn’t looking at him. Abe sighed and left for the cafeteria. He suddenly felt exhausted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a million years to finally come up with an idea for space travel that would work with this story. I refused to use warp drive!
> 
> Also, I originally had them navigating through fields of meteors. Hopefully I reread it enough times to catch anything, but please let me know if I randomly mention meteors so I can fix it. (Also please let me know if you catch me writing in present tense because apparently I like to do so out of nowhere!)
> 
> I chose the name Espion for the anomaly because it sounds kind of spacy and it's french for spy. I might change it later.
> 
> As a warning, I definitely won't be as fast with future chapters.


	3. It's Real

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know why this took so long. Well in any case, here's chapter 3!
> 
> (Also, for some reason I shorted International Space Agency to INS... I changed it now to ISA)

One month later at 6am, he got the call.

***

In contrast to the regular bleached white walls of the facility, the conference room’s walls were painted a warm brown. A wooden oval table took up most of the room, barely leaving any space to navigate through. There was a large blue cooler sitting on the nearest end of the table. At the far end of the room was a big touchscreen for presentations, again leaving minimal space for the presenter themselves.

Abe and Mihashi currently stood side by side near the entrance of the room, facing two other men. Momoe stood perpendicular to the group.

“I understand some of you have already been acquainted. But for those who haven’t, I will introduce you.” she said. “This is Hanai,” she gestured to the man with a shaved head, "who will be captain of this mission, and Tajima, the first main pilot." She introduced Mihashi as the second main pilot and Abe as their engineer and navigator.

Abe nodded at the pair. He hadn't interacted much with Hanai; only seeing him in meetings and exchanging a few words. He did notice that Hanai always seemed to have an air of responsibility around him and Abe felt he was a good choice as a captain.

Tajima, on the other hand, Abe had gotten to know quite well. They had had Abe survey Tajima's run-throughs of the simulation in order to get his approval. Abe couldn't deny Tajima's skill, but didn't appreciate Tajima's tendency to take the most "fun" route rather than the most efficient. Still, he was serious about wanting to be an astronaut and Abe trusted him with the technology... Enough.

"P-pleased... Meet." Mihashi bowed his head.

Abe and Hanai shook hands, a firm professional matter. Tajima grabbed Mihashi's hand with both of his, shaking so vigorously that Abe was afraid Mihashi's arm would come off. Luckily when Abe shook Tajima's hand, he was a bit less enthusiastic.

When Hanai gripped Mihashi's hand he was met with a noodle like grip, he shook his hand, gently, awkwardly.  
Then, for some reason, Tajima grabbed both of Hanai's hands and started shaking them.  
"What are you-?" Hanai sputtered. "We've already met!"  
Tajima grinned, letting go of Hanai's hands.

Once the four had settled, Momoe continued. "Mentally, you’ve prepared your whole lives for this mission. But living in space requires a mental fortitude much stronger than that on earth.” She always kept eye contact with someone. “For the next month, we will be increasing your mental strength. We will also be training your bodies."

"No problem! I play baseball in my free time so I'm perfectly fit!" Tajima gave a thumbs up.  
Momoe smiled. "Although that is an asset, it is not the kind of training that I mean." She turned to the table and rested her arm on the cooler.

"I trust you followed my instructions and that none of you have eaten today." Her question was met with nods from the four. She snapped the lid off the cooler and set it aside. She pulled out four vials containing a viscous moss-colored mixture, handing them each one. The contents were chilled, but not frozen.

"Bottom's up!" She grinned. Abe couldn't tell whether than grin meant they were in for something good or something awful.

The four astronauts, lifted the vials to their lips and downed the contents.

Abe smacked his lips. He hasn't gotten much of the taste, but the consistency was strange. It was sort of what you'd imagine swallowing glue would be like, but chunkier.

"How was it?" Momoe prodded.

Abe shrugged. “It’s odd but it’s not terrible.”

"Good, because that's all you'll be eating once you're up there."

"Whaaat?" Tajima scrunched his nose at the vial. "I thought we could bring our own food!"  
"Of course you can," Momoe assured. "But we can't fit a lifetimes worth of food in the craft. So instead you'll be growing your own."  
Abe held the vial up to his eye to look at the residuals. "What exactly is this?"  
"Fungi." A man's voice sounded from the entrance.  
"This is Shiga, he will be telling you all about how to survive in space."

“I’m sure you all know what the plan is but I’ll explain it again, just in case.” He maneuvered his way around the chairs until he was standing beside the touchscreen. “We have chosen four astronauts to take on this mission. Two pilots will remain awake at a time, leaving the other two to sleep in the cryo-tubes. This way, relativity will affect you less than if you were all awake at the same time. You are set to switch every month or until. Of course, having more astronauts would be optimal, but with the limited space and resources, four was the maximum number. Your three main duties are to navigate the craft, maintain the craft and, what I’m here to help with, maintain your own health.” He pulled his id card out of his shirt pocket and ran it through the slot beside the screen to log in. A list of applications appeared. He tapped on the one labelled Powerpoint.

***

After hours of being bombarded with effect heavy power points and health videos, Abe was exhausted.

“You four are going to be alone up there,” Shiga explained as he shut the screen off. “You’ll have to count on yourselves to maintain both your physical and mental health.”

The presentation informed them that they were to go about a daily routine in which they would take part in an elaborate exercise using the machine provided on board. They would also test the levels of various chemicals and minerals in the bodies and take supplements to compensate.

“There’s no sure fire way to keep your mental health stable,” Shiga had said. “It’s up to you to know what works best. Some suggestions are keeping a journal or doing yoga. But it’s important that it works for you. You have to make sure you do your work as well as leave time to enjoy yourself. Think carefully about what you’ll be bringing. It can’t be something you’ll tire of easily.”

Shiga also gave them a long lecture about their brain waves and how to stimulate them in stressful situations. Again, the multicolored PowerPoint used far too many effects and transitions.

“My brain huuurts.” Tajima all but lay on the table once Shiga left the room. Mihashi nodded empathetically.  
Hanai sighed. “How did you guys make it through school?”  
“I’m an astronaut! Not a doctor!” Tajima did his best impression of Doctor McCoy from Star Trek.  
“It is a lot of information to take in all at once,” Abe admitted.  
Hanai shrugged. “I suppose that’s true.”  
“Anyways!” Tajima shot up. “I’m dying of hunger! Let’s go get some food!”

***

Over the next few months, the four of them had to go through countless simulations in order for them to get used to the food, the technology, exercising and life in general. Not only did Abe have to prepare for the mission, but he had to do his work as an engineer as well. The months passed by stressfully but before he knew it, it was time to leave.

A couple days before they were set to leave, the ISA, as well as their friends and family, threw the leaving astronauts a great party. They played games and watched performances. They were served all kinds of foods from different parts of the world, ranging from gourmet to street food. The party was their last chance at experiencing earth.

Abe’s family tried their best to provide him with the best night of his life. But every watery smile and forced laugh told Abe how they really felt. Abe didn’t want to waste their efforts and tried to have a good time but just like them, none of his expressions were genuine. Only once the alcohol sampling began did he begin to enjoy himself. He was no longer an astronaut about to leave earth and everyone on it. He was just some random guy having fun at a party.

Before Abe knew it, he was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. He was set to leave the next day. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, he didn’t even try.

He wondered what he would miss the most. Friends and family was the obvious answer. Maybe the beaches or the mountains or the forests or the cities. Or maybe something simple like waking up from a good night’s sleep. Fetching breakfast and deciding that, ‘it looks pretty nice out, maybe I’ll eat outside’. Finding the perfect spot, half in the shade, half in the sun. His coffee the perfect temperature. His omelet fluffy and light. A couple of birds chirping nearby, eyeing his breakfast jealously. He’d toss a few crumbs from his breakfast onto the ground and watching them gobble it up. 

He closed his eyes, shutting off the daydream. He knew he was romanticizing breakfast. He had never had a breakfast that perfect.

He reopened his eyes. He would have time to be nostalgic in space. He decided to focus on the small piece of earth he had at his disposal.

He kicked the sheets off his bed and swung his legs off the side, his feet meeting the rough texture of the carpet. Unless you were a trainee, every employee at the ISA had their own room. As a top engineer, he had one of the better ones. The room resembled a hotel room except with only a single bed and no TV. The room also had a stove he rarely used. 

Abe opened the freezer then closed it, and did the same with the fridge. He turned the burner on then off.

Abe decided this probably wasn’t the best way of savoring his last night on earth. Instead he made his way to his window. He pulled open the blinds, the half-moon tinting his room with a silver glow. The stars were bright; there wasn’t much pollution at the ISA. He tore his eyes away from the sky. He would see enough stars in space. Instead, he admired the view.

The INS was situated high on a hill on the Antipodes islands to serve as a better launch sight. Their main observatory was in another part of the world entirely, on an even bigger mountain. Although it was dark, Abe was able to make out the trees swaying in the wind. He flipped the unlock switch on the side of the window. The window squeaked slightly as he opened it, letting in a crisp breeze. Even during the warm season, the island had a rather cold climate.

Abe closed his eyes and inhaled the fresh mountain air. The wind blew softly but it was enough for the trees to rustle, making their telltale shushing noise. He scanned the area, hoping to be lucky enough to see some wildlife. He heard the chirping of insects and the occasional warble of a bird, but other than that, he witnessed no life.

As the sky turned from black to navy blue, Abe decided he should at least try to get some sleep. He padded back to his bed and slipped under the covers. He dreamt of the sky.

***

The day was busy. He had no time to pause or think. He felt like he was in a dream as he said goodbye to his family.

He was in the craft.

The countdown started.

He was in space.

***

At first, they couldn’t look back. They had to focus on piloting the craft properly or something could go very wrong. After what felt like years, the ship sailed smoothly and the pilots could move around.

Mihashi pressed the million buttons required in order to get his seat belt off, and ran through the door of the command room. Abe followed, although a bit more slowly. Mihashi’s face was pressed against the glass of one of the windows.

Abe grabbed his collar and brought him back. “You know, you won’t be able to see anything if you’re pressed against the window like that.”

“S-sorry…” Mihashi squeaked.

Abe looked out the window. The earth already looked so far away. Half the planet was covered in shadow. City lights illuminating the borders of each country. It didn’t look real.

“This is the last time we’ll see the earth, huh?” Abe commented. Mihashi fidgeted beside him, seeming to try and find a good response. Abe sighed. He hadn’t really been expecting one anyway.

“B-but…” Mihashi said. “W-we’ll see… others.”

Abe didn’t understand. “Others?”

“Planets.” Mihashi clarified.

“Yeah,” Abe said. “We will.”

This is what Abe had always wanted. To leave earth and explore the galaxy. But it didn’t make leaving any less difficult. The farther away they got, the more he felt like he was leaving a part of his heart behind. He knew it would be hard. He knew he would miss the earth.

Abe swallowed thickly. He turned away from the window and returned to the command room. He passed Hanai as he entered.

“Aren’t you going to look?” Abe asked Tajima.

“No,” he replied. “I’ve already said goodbye to the earth. I don’t want to have to do it again.”

“But have you ever seen it from here?” Abe stood beside Tajima’s seat. Tajima frowned.

“If you don’t look now, you’ll regret it.” Abe looked at the window in front of them. “This is your last chance.”

Tajima didn’t say anything. He only stared ahead. Finally, he sighed.

“You know, I was all resolved not to look and now you’ve ruined it!” Tajima stepped out of his seat. “All yours!”

Abe sat down in the main chair and monitored one of the consoles. Truthfully, there wasn’t really any need of having someone in the command room. Their trajectory would be fine for at least a couple hours. But it felt like someone should be there, especially when they had only just begun their journey.

Abe looked out the window at the stars. He had seen them through telescopes and in pictures but seeing them like this was so much different. Everything was so clear. So bright. He could believe that he could feel the heat from the millions of distant suns.

Abe couldn’t just sit, he felt too restless. He jumped out of his chair and walked briskly to the other room. His copilots stared out the window in silence. He joined the group. They all watched as the earth got smaller and smaller.

A few minutes later, they heard some beeping coming from the control room. The four pilots jumped into action. Once they entered the room, they realized that the beeping was only signifying a call. Hanai pressed a button to accept the call and Momoe’s face appeared in place of the window.

“How’s it going up there?” she asked. “Is everything in order?”

“Yes ma’am,” Hanai answered.

“Good,” Momoe nodded. “We’re going to go over your instructions one more time, alright?”

Abe groaned inwardly. They had the instructions written down. They had heard them a million times. He had basically memorized them.

“You have the file that contains information on your trajectory,” Momoe began. “You will follow it exactly, provided there are no obstacles. Hanai and Tajima will pilot the ship first. Once you reach a clear enough area, Abe and Mihashi will take over. I recommend that Abe and Mihashi enter the chambers as soon as they feel comfortable. You may take a couple hours to habituate yourself to your surroundings but not longer. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am.” The astronauts answered in unison.

She nodded. “Hanai, Tajima, be sure to keep us updated. Mihashi, Abe, I’ll see you in a month.” 

Her face faded out and was replaced by the stars.

Abe felt that maybe he was finally coming to terms with reality. The craft, this mission, space... it was all real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of too lazy to put this in the story so I'll just write the information about the ship here
> 
> The ship is kind of shaped like a bullet. The astronauts wear magnetic boots that prevent them from flying all over the place. Since the ship is round, they can easily climb on the walls. Every wall is also a storage compartment. All the technology like the engines and whatnot are in the outer shell of the ship.
> 
> The order of the rooms:  
> Command room, bathroom across from kitchen, sleeping room, workout room, bathing/laundry room, medical room/cryo room.  
> (I'm probably forgetting some things...)  
> 


End file.
